just played with him in wpt jax and he is really tough

Is that in a good way or a bad way?

+1

little bitch complaining like that need a reality check doing 9-5 for five years, then rethink what they said.

Sure everybody want to change the world and be "fulfilled" whatever the **** that means, but fulfilment doesn't comes from your "job", it comes from where your heart and mind his. Sure you can donate all your money to help poor children's or go across the world planting trees but at the end you will be alone with your mind and then if you haven't learn to control it you will still don't feel "complete".

Comparatively speaking, from the positive feedback here it appears Joey is already well on his way to making a difference.

There aren't a lot of poker pro's getting good follow up for anything. Most of what I read here speaks volumes of his direction and how he deals with people.

Once you have that covered, the rest comes. Something it seems many current people in poker haven't learned yet.

of course he tough...he watched Rounders 30 times...

Loads of young poker players say this (including me). I'm sure he means it and I hope he finds something he is motivated to work hard at outside of poker. I'm trying at the moment but it's difficult!

The reality is that most people work at the jobs they do for a paycheck, so they can pay their bills, support their family, etc. They don't necessarily find it rewarding, or feel it contributes to society.

It's great that Joey wants to do something more than that, but the average person would likely trade their 9-5 office job for a lucrative poker career, if they were able to do so.

Agree just like any other sport or entertainment :-)

99% of professional poker players don't provide entertainment for anyone(at least of the spectator variety). You can count on a few hands the number of people who get paid enough by sponsors to play on TV that they would be considered entertainers and that list in shrinking, not growing.

Most all professional athletes could classify themselves as entertainers.

Mike, I love you and your show.

But I disagree.

Here is why:

In poker you don't entertain the viewer but the other player that you play against. The whole thing is entertainment. The enjoyment is just a little more participative.

I understand when we are saying that poker only moves money from one hand to the other and creates no value. But that is the same for sport. Its something we do for fun but does not have a "real" value to society. Like a park bench, meal or something "real" like that.

Yet people pay 10k a seat to watch a game for that "unreal" sport game. Sport is part of our culture and provides value in way we cant just simply explain by pointing to a real thing.

Poker is the same way in that it does not create anything that adds to society but it is still enjoyable to do. And it provides value to the people that do (of course in different ways)

Like in sports there are some that benefit from it and take money out of it and others that contribute to it.

I believe in poker terms:
In sports the fish sits on the bench or sofa or in a bar. In poker the fish is right where the sharks are as well.

Art is the same way. We as people do lots of stuff that "does not make sense" or adds value and yet it does.

People who say that poker is bad because it does not create anything just don't understand what poker is.

I remember listening to the interview on your show from a very famous poker pro and TV moderator on the subject. I respect that guy a lot and I am a huge fan, but I thought:

"This guy has no idea what poker is, someone needs to explain it to him"


The purpose of poker is not to create things that a "real", its purpose is to be a game.

I don't bitch at my car because it does not love me. When I do I am either crazy or have been highly oversold on the features and functionalities of what a car is made for.

Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to swim. But in that case I should scuba dive or buy a boat. Not buy a car and try to make it swim.

I'm sure this guy is a nice guy; all I know of him is the article in the OP. But honestly, the cliffs seem to me like:

-teenager thinks he is a deep thinker. Like a teenager would even know what being a deep thinker is like.

-goes to college, it's hard, he quits

-plays some poker

-tries a "real job" it's hard, he quits

-Plays poker, makes around $60k in 2011 tourneys, yet is broke, depressed and sleeping on friend's couch at start of 2012 WSOP

-binks a tourney for $700k

-now feels he's ready and qualified to do something to change the world (let's hope it's not hard)

Sorry, but his story (as told in the article) doesn't really seem much different than taking life advice from a broke guy who spends his last dollar on the lotto and wins $700k.

I WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!






oh cry me a fricking river.... we as human beings are selfish n live in a world where we dont care about those at the bottom but rather want to keep the status quo where they are at..... you have 1 life n its to live for yourself...

if somebody wants to save the world he must return all prize money to less lucky people at first


human beings not selfish and live for yourself not enough.Lots of rich guys absolutely unhappy... some of them commite suiside or think about it often.
I'm too lazy to bla-bla long...I always think about one thing.Almost any holywood actor can play a good guy perfectly.You read articles in different stupid magazines...he drinks round the clock,deceives his wife,doesnt care about his children...but he knows how ideal guys looks like.There should be something inside...And not so many can play really bad guys naturally...it often looks false.
Maybe i put my idea too obscure

I haven't even clicked the link but this post is just cringe worthy and beyond ignorant on every possible level

Who the**** is Joey Weissman

you could say that the superior athlete gets paid more or gets the 1st prize money compared to the lower prizes, abstractly taking money out of the other athletes pockets.

Jeez! Who taught you guys how to write? My head hurts from trying to figure out what most of you have said here and none of it is any deeper than a frying pan.